definite
Americanadjective
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clearly defined or determined; not vague or general; fixed; precise; exact.
a definite quantity;
definite directions.
- Synonyms:
- particular, specific
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having fixed limits; bounded with precision.
a definite area.
- Synonyms:
- well-defined
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positive; certain; sure.
It is definite that he will take the job.
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Botany. (of an inflorescence) determinate.
adjective
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clearly defined; exact; explicit
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having precise limits or boundaries
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known for certain; sure
it is definite that they have won
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botany
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denoting a type of growth in which the main stem ends in a flower, as in a cymose inflorescence; determinate
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(esp of flower parts) limited or fixed in number in a given species
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Other Word Forms
- definiteness noun
- definitude noun
- nondefinite adjective
- nondefinitely adverb
- nondefiniteness noun
- quasi-definite adjective
- quasi-definitely adverb
- semidefinite adjective
- semidefinitely adverb
- semidefiniteness noun
- undefinite adjective
- undefinitely adverb
- undefiniteness noun
Etymology
Origin of definite
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin dēfīnītus “limited, precise,” adjective use of past participle of dēfīnīre “to limit”; define
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I never had a definite place which was my room or where I retired specially to write,” Agatha Christie said in her autobiography.
Her answer was definite: We should sort out and sell or give away almost all of our trinkets, T-shirts, books and baubles before we die—rather than leaving a dreary chore for friends or families.
“There’s a definite naiveté,” Tom Fry, who built trading software at Morgan Stanley before co-founding AI startup Agentcy, said about the finance community’s response.
One asked: "Who am I to say I don't believe that someone is struggling with their mental health? It's not like a chest infection where there is definite proof of illness."
From BBC
She sounded so positive, so definite, that it cheered me a little.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
